comment

Thousands of state employees are collecting both a salary and a pension, according to a report by lohud.com.

There were about 2,600 double-dippers in 2015, 56 of which raked in more than $200,000, and 430 that banked more than $100,000 that way, lohud.com reported.

Lohud.com said payroll records link some double-dipping to the need to fill critical gaps in staffing at state agencies, especially those in the mental-health area.

The records only cover double-dippers who remained in state service, and not those who got local government jobs -- or firefighters and police officers, the lohud.com story said.

While the entrenched practice irks fiscal conservatives, state agencies say it helps them keep experienced workers on part time and employees say it saves money because the state doesn’t have to put in more toward their retirement, the lohud.com story said.